I spent the day in the kitchen today (besides the hour when I escaped during nap time, ran to the post office, and got a pedicure). We’re spending the weekend away in Chincoteague (on a fun trip with General Motors…will be sharing more this weekend on Instagram!) and I wanted to make a few of our meals ahead of time so we would have more time to explore the island and hopefully see the wild ponies! I made one of our new favorite dinner dishes, a moroccan spice chickpea stew with spinach. It’s so so good served over a mound of couscous. I also made another batch of [a different] butternut squash soup…this one is simple with basically just garlic and thyme. We never tire of butternut squash soup this time of year; it’s just so hearty & satisfying, especially when we dip in crusty Dutch oven bread (which I made yesterday). We might not be packed and a few loads of laundry still need to be washed, but at least we have tasty food for our trip. If you’re from the Chincoteague area, we’d love your island recommendations, especially for things to do with kids and coffee shops!

I also made this roasted persimmon with honey, yoghurt, and toasted walnuts dessert today. I know this recipe is going to be a new favorite in our household. Joe worked from home today, and I had to hold him and Zoe away from my concoction until I was finished photographing. Fruit & yoghurt desserts are a favorite in our household… The creamy, perfectly sweetened honey yoghurt paired with the roasted persimmon, slathered in a mixture of honey and spices and a touch of lime, and then the crunch of the toasted walnuts. Yum yum yum. This would probably be tasty if you chopped up the persimmons and added granola and made it a breakfast bowl. Lots of options!


Roasted Persimmons with Honey, Yoghurt, and Toasted Walnuts
loosely adapted from Nadia Lim
serves 6

Ingredients
2 persimmons
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp allspice
1/8 tsp ginger
A few star anise
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp honey
1/4 cup boiling water
Zest from 1 key lime
Juice from 2 key limes, to taste
Noosa honey yoghurt
Toasted walnuts, broken into small pieces

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Slice persimmons 1/4 inch thick and place on lined baking sheet. Mix all other ingredients together in small bowl. Reserve some lime juice. Spoon honey & spice mixture onto persimmons and place star anise pieces on each slice.

Bake for about 45 minutes, until persimmons are soft. Remove from oven and preheat oven to broil. Spoon a bit more of the honey mixture over the persimmons. Then broil persimmons for 5-10 minutes until nicely browned (be careful not to burn!).

Remove from oven and cool for a few minutes. Spread a large spoon of Noosa honey yoghurt on dessert plate. Place 2 persimmon slices on yoghurt and garnish with toasted walnuts. Sprinkle with a bit of reserved lime juice, to taste. I like a generous amount because the citrus really balances out the sweetness of the honey-roasted persimmons.

This post is brought to you in partnership with Noosa Yoghurt. Thanks for supporting sponsored posts – it helps allow me to continue to produce quality content!